Crazy Train
by Chaste Devotion
Summary: It is senior year for Jimmy and he is ready to make the most of it without being in the limelight. The only thing is that Jimmy still has his enemies and they will do whatever it takes to give him his just desserts. Senior year, how bittersweet.
1. Back in Black

A/N: Okay, I found this account, since I have two, and realized I had a whole other story on here that I have long since been neglecting. I edited it a bit, changed the title, fixed typos, all that jazz and reposted the chapters.

Let's see how this goes!

* * *

_Crazy Train_

_Chapter 1_

_Back in Black_

The first day of school was always an exciting time of the school year. Why it may not be the most favorite to some, there was something about the opening week when students just had a drive to be there.

The nerds excelled in making themselves at home within their classrooms, racing ahead to seemingly robotically meet their newest teacher and make themselves known as the brains of that particular class. They were always first seated and best marked.

For the jocks, it was a new year to make highest scores on the sports scale. But when it came to academic classes, their seats were better off left empty. As valiant as their efforts might be, cheating was, and always will be, their first plan of action.

The preps strived to show off the newest line of Aquaberry fashion and taunt those they considered beneath them. They did just as well as the typical geek would academically. As to whether it was true brain or the purchase of test answers was lost to most.

The bullies were satisfied enough with the start of a new school year in terrorizing fresh meat and continuing the taunting on their like aged peers. The lot of them could use some tutoring, but they did not care enough to take the time to even bother.

The greasers were all ready to start a new year on their cars and bikes. Applying modifications, giving tune-ups, testing out their wheels. All that on school time. But they were more likely to skip their classes for a good, old-fashioned street race.

The prefects were more than happy to bust the miscreants, anyone who dare step an inch over the line. Mostly their excitement was spurred from the new group of kids on campus. Just more innocent kids that they could prove that they were the bosses on campus.

To Jimmy Hopkins, a boy in his own division, the start of a school year was the start of a battle with himself to not get expelled. Though he started out his sophomore year at Bullworth a bit rough, he still managed to moderately smooth out those edges by the close. To him, all he had to do was just enough to pass. And with that, he'd be content and on his merry way doing as he pleased.

This was the longest he had been at any school and though it was a complete, stereotypical dump, he felt at ease enough here to call it home. So he decided he would tough it out for another year, only changing his priorities up a little.

His junior year at Bullworth he opted to halt his chase on popularity and just take what friends he had – the highest number he could ever remember having. However not everybody liked him and whenever they inanely chose to show that, he put them in their place with a swift punch. Nonchalance about a fight was his trademark and his fairly violent demeanor was his best upkeep. He no longer fought to prove power over a group, but rather to keep someone off his back, at least for a short period of time.

Jimmy did not like being disturbed.

As his third high school year at this establishment trudged along, with him in tow, he made one of the toughest decisions he would ever have to. After days of requests for advice from his closest friend Pete, after hours of taking in, reevaluating, and understanding his previous rule. Once all that was taken to mind, the choice was entirely obvious and a final conclusion was reached.

After once being overthrown, he decided it best not to risk another revolution against his being and chose not to resume his position as Bullworth Academy's king. One coup d'état was enough and he could not take on a school full of usurpers again.

Thus making him just another face in the crowd at school, who would stand up for himself and his friends if needed. He did not mind though; he found being in the limelight gave him very little time to just do what he wanted to do, but now he had more than enough time for that.

On the last day of school of his junior year, his heart had for the first time been broken. He never imagined that the girl that he loved and been with for the past year would suddenly reveal to him of her moving with no more than a three hour notice. She claimed it would be less painful if they did not talk to each other again because the chances of her return were unlikely. He found that to be a load of crap though. Because he hurt worse than any punch, kick, slap, fall, or even the occasional car could ever harm him. But he left it as it was and went through the grieving stages throughout the summer and only just now was he beginning his slow climb back to the top.

And here he was, now seventeen and at the start of his senior year and fully prepared to make the most of it.

He was again left alone here. His mother and his newest stepdad were again leaving on a honeymoon, for the next six months. His previous stepdad has been gone for the last seven months, and his mom remarried within five. They were married not a week ago and he was dropped off, once again, at the front of the school – a replay of his very first day here. At least this time around he was able to wait it out here with old friends and quite possibly new ones.

Jimmy entered the auditorium, walking tall with an air of authority surrounding him. Just from his looks, the newcomers knew not to bother him. Standing at six feet and once inch tall, he exceeded the height of many of the freshmen and sophomores, but was at least now more equal in height to his similar aged peers. His cheeks still had the boyish tint of red to them but his facial structure held more masculinity. His freckles had long since melded together with the color of his cheeks. The redness of his nose had gradually disappeared as he aged and colorized into a peach hue, matching the rest of his skin tone. His hair was chocolate brown and cut in the smart style. Slanted under his hairline was a scar, starting at his part and ending at his right temple.

His demeanor exuded danger and his posture solidified the notion.

Freshmen who were filing into the room were purposely avoiding him as much as possible, fearful of the boy who they assumed would rip out their bowels with even a wrong step.

Jimmy was fully conscious of their trepidation but he decided to pay them no mind, knowing full well that he would not harm any one of the newest students. Unless, of course, they deserved it; though the chances were they would not.

He found a seat next to Pete and briefly smoothed out his brown leather jacket before sitting.

"Where's your uniform?" Pete questioned, giving him a quick glance up and down.

Jimmy only shot him a bored look, figuring the answer was obvious.

"Right." Pete said, figuring he should have known better than to even bother asking.

He would wear the uniform on occasion, but not generally. He liked the school, but he did not like the uniform. Nonconformity was just another trait the boy had.

He pulled at his dark jeans, giving them more slack, and crossed a brown booted foot over his knee. He slung his arm over the back of the chair and hunched slightly, finding a relaxing position for him to sit through the new school year's meaningless greeting.

Doctor Crabblesnitch suddenly walked across the stage and assumed his position behind the podium. He cleared his throat loudly before beginning his brief speech to the student body. "Hello students! To the freshmen, welcome to Bullworth Academy. Sophomores and juniors, welcome back home. And seniors, welcome to the last year of your high school careers!"

Immediately, a loud holler roared across the auditorium, knowingly coming from the seniors.

"Alright, alright; quiet down now." The hoots and whoops died down gradually and the speech continued. "I am Doctor Crabblesnitch, the principal of this fine establishment, and I wish to see you all excel this year – in academics, in sports, in social and school activity! Here at Bullworth, school spirit is high and is a definite must!" To this, Jimmy rolled his eyes.

The man had finally caught on to the fact that there was bullying, but not as much was done about it as should have been since it still persists today. The principal's reasoning was that he did not want to risk the high school spirit, that the ruffians showed theirs that way, so for the most part it was left alone. Jimmy had dealt with plenty of bullying issues in his time and he was largely the cause of its downsizing. But it was still blatantly present in the school with a rather high enterprise.

"I truly hope your school year is full of fun and exciting activity and remember to keep all of your noses clean!" The principal directed his stare to Jimmy. Even though Doctor Crabblesnitch and Jimmy got along quite well, Jimmy still did have his times when sent to his office and stuck in detention. "I hope to see you students only for good reasons in the near future. Let the new school year commence!" He put emphasize on the last word and the nerds erupted into fits of cheers, along with a few non-clique students, while the rest clapped slowly with disinterest or did not make any reaction at all.

"Well, now that that's over, I'm gonna' go see some of the new kids around here." Jimmy stood up from his seat and looked at Pete. "You wanna' come?"

"Sure!" The still small boy stood up and followed Jimmy out of the auditorium. "Are you going to look around to see if any new, decent, and properly aged girls have enrolled this year?"

"That too." Jimmy shrugged casually, but really that was what he was most excited for. Zoe took a toll on him and now it was his chance to get back in the game; if not for love and commitment, at least for play and pleasure. He will be a player like before.

Jimmy leaned against the metal railing and looked around the grounds, not many were out of the building, just some smaller kids and most the prefects. They would exit soon enough and then he would get to examining his choices.

Jimmy and Pete stood quietly amongst each other while they waited. Within a minute of silence, the doors opened and the noisy chatter began. A rush of students quickly walked out of the building's doors and went down the cement stairs and they dispersed on campus, giving Jimmy and Pete alike a good view from their elevated position.

His brown eyes scanned the grounds quickly, taking in as many new students as possible. He easily picked out most the freshmen in the batch but he looked for the girls who were older. There were not very many, the usual at Bullworth, but of what he could tell of them, they were not too great either. Too chubby, too lanky, too geeky, or too snobby – the mental list went on. He was not usually one for being picky, he will take what he can get, but he was curious to know as to where all the pretty girls chose to go to school.

Then he remembered, Bullworth Academy is a dump.

He turned around from the railing, his elbows resting on the metal bars. But it was his dump, more or less. And he was satisfied with it. He would woo every halfway decent girl in the school and he would call it a day.

"Any ones that you like?" Pete piped up, searching around for his potential preference.

Jimmy sighed, deeper than he intended. "Not in particular."

The shorter boy looked up at his friend. He did not miss the apparent dejection in his heavy heave. "So any of them are fair game?" He already knew if he were to tell Jimmy of the individual that he liked that his friend would, for the most part, keep his hands off of her – literally. He had heard conversations of girls he passed by of how much a great "lover" Jimmy was. He tried to block out the images and the memory of catching wind of it.

Pete knew Jimmy was not a backstabber, if anything he was the one who always had the knife sticking out of his back. He knew that Jimmy, his best friend, would always treat him fairly since he was the only one who always stood by his side, faithful to him as ever. But there was still the minute chance of him doing something with her.

Jimmy's response was concise. "Pretty much."

They slipped into silence again, Pete contemplating whether or not he should bring up the memory of his ex-flame. "You miss her." There was no question to it. He knew him enough to be able to read his emotions, no matter how well he masked them behind his stoic façade. Jimmy was human and still had emotions. And as reluctant as he was to admit it, he, too, knew he did.

The taller stared ahead, eyes glazed slightly from thought, reminiscing about the time he had with her. He finally responded. "Yeah…"

"I thought so." Pete looked down at his shoes. "Sorry to bring it up, but you just have been acting so much more on impulse as of late, Jimmy."

"I've always acted that way." He replied dumbly, giving his friend a strange look.

"Yeah, I know." He quickly stated. "It's just…I know." He paused, wondering if his companion knew what he was referring to. "About all the girls. Over the summer…"

Jimmy stared at him blankly before pushing off the rail, changing the subject completely impromptu. "Let's go get some breakfast. I'm starved. Maybe it would be nice to see Edna again." He almost choked on his last sentence as he walked.

Seeing Edna was about as nice as finding half a rat in your stew – which was what she chose to be last year's end of the year special.

"Yeah, okay, Jim." Pete quietly said, following suit.

They entered the main school building and went straight to the cafeteria, ignoring the insults from the prefects. Jimmy was used to them and it was easy enough to block them out at this point in time.

"Hey Edna." He greeted across the room.

There was a hacking cough before a gravely, threatening voice called out from the kitchen. "Which one of you brats is interruptin' me cookin' my special?"

Jimmy sat on the end of the long table and picked up an apple from the fruit basket, the only thing that he somewhat trusted to eat in this health inspector nightmare of a cafeteria, before coolly responding to the upset old woman. "Me."

"Me?" Her voice perceptibly bristled. "If you could be a little more –" she stomped out of the kitchen, ladle held high showing her aggravation. She stopped her rant when she caught sight of who it was. "Well if it isn't the lit'l troublemaker, Jimmy Hopkins!" She laughed. "Didn't recognize ya' voice at first, 'see it's gotten deeper over the summa'! You were a bit of late bloomer, tha's for sure!"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah." He feigned hilarity at her statement, him more disturbed at it than anything. He looked at Pete who apparently shared the feeling toward what she said. Jimmy shuddered.

"Well, boy, how ya' been doin'? Good summer in all, I hope!"

"I've been alright and yes, it was a good summer." He replied.

"Now don't that just warm my belly to hear! Or is that my medication kickin' in?" She paused shortly to contemplate that matter. "Ah, well! C'mon in here boy and help me with my special!"

"One batch of sneezed-in stew, comin' up!" He hopped off the table and waved for Pete to come along. "You heard the lady, come on!"

Pete sighed before following. And to think, he used to eat here.

* * *

A/N: (1) Smart Style – the hair cut you receive in the richer part of town.

(2) Jimmy's scar – yes, I gave him a scar. I mean, c'mon…he fell through a _glass_ window; he has to get some kind of injury. And it needed to come from Gary. So that was it.

I think I got all the typos; there were quite a few here. I hope you enjoyed it!

-Ariel.


	2. Bad Fun

A/N: Edit time!

* * *

_Crazy Train_

_Chapter 2_

_Bad Fun_

It was just one of those days. Jimmy was not exactly in the mood for attending class this fine Wednesday so he decided to skip. Being a month into school and he only skipped twice so far, he did not see much harm in omitting just one more day.

So he languidly sat under the tree, basking in the gentle glow of the sun seeping through the breaks in leaves and relishing the cool, crisp air of this early October month. The season's transition brought about a calm not only to the harsh summer weather but also to his mentality and he just desired to relax and enjoy it.

He did miss the running about and causing little fits of trouble but he would just avoid that matter right now. Minus the issue of his truancy, but as long as the prefects took no mind to his relaxation on this slightly elevated haven, next to the girls' dorm no less, he would get by without issue. As threatening as they could be, they were not very observant. And he was just enough out of their eye level so long as he continued to lay low.

He picked up an apple next to him and examined it to ensure that there were no interesting creatures vacating it before wiping it on his shirt and taking a large bite. _This is the life._ He thought to himself as he chewed, eyes sliding shut as he sunk further into repose.

A gentle breeze brushed past his body, the leaves lightly rustling. If he felt anymore at ease, he was certain he would fall asleep. He allowed his thoughts to keep his mind and consciousness running.

But all that he found he could think about was Zoe and it crushed him.

He was just at the start of month four without her and as much as he said he was making the claim to, as much as he wanted, and as much as he tried, he could not forget her. He did not really expect that they would never talk again, but so far that was the case. It irked him to know that she could play it off easily that they were not going to be together ever again. And he just knew she was probably with some other guy at her present whereabouts, wherever that may be. A grimace crossed his face.

A girl like her would not be single for long.

It was miracle enough that he managed to nab her and sweep her off her feet, as she once stated. So cliché. Now he was left wondering if she ever really did love him, at least as much as he loved her. Obviously she did not care enough to fight for their relationship, long distance or not. He would not have let it go down without a fight but the fact that she was leaving within hours when she told him, he just felt the battle end before it began. She was the clear victor.

He cringed when he was jolted from his thoughts by a voice. He opened his eyes and craned his neck to see who the source of this rude interruption was. _Aren't you people supposed to be in class?_ He almost smiled at the irony in his thought.

His eyes could not catch sight of anyone so he strained his ears a bit more to gain more clarity in the noise.

He finally recognized it as that of Miss Danvers. He was shocked he did not discern her voice at first, considering how many times he had spoken with her in the main office. _Why is she talking to herself?_

That was when he heard the other voice. It was obviously feminine, but younger and laced with a muted attitude and dry sarcasm. Her voice was perceptibly only simulating graciousness.

Jimmy decided to reposition himself to see who was talking, now easier to understand since they were closer. He could not pinpoint the voice to anyone he knew so either they did not get out much, was shy, or was new.

He was on his hands and knees as he slowly crawled to the edge of the elevated platform, peering out from between the fence's iron bars. He saw Miss Danvers' trademark black skirt suit, which he had easily seen under a few times in his previous years. And on the opposite side of her was another girl, two suitcases at her feet and a duffle over her shoulder. She had blonde hair but he could not yet see her face past the secretary's shoulder.

"This will be where you stay and you will need to see Mrs. Peabody for proper accommodations. Once you're settled, please come to the main office for your schedule." Miss Danvers ushered to the steps ahead. "Welcome to Bullworth Academy, Miss Kershaw."

"Kershaw…" Jimmy whispered absently to himself. He leaned his head to the left to try and get a better look at her face but before he caught a glimpse, he felt a hand around his ankle.

"Hopkins!" He recognized the voice as the highest-ranking prefect Seth, the one who usually ended up catching him. "Why aren't you in class?" Jimmy was yanked across the grass, grunting as he was pulled off the raised region and left to fall painfully to the hard ground below.

Jimmy looked up at Seth, scowling at him. Seth simply returned the glower. "You ditchers disgust me."

"And you make me sick. So we're even." Jimmy retorted, standing and brushing off his jeans.

The prefect looked him up and down. "What are you wearin', Hopkins?"

"Clothes."

Seth simply shook his head, dismissing the minor infraction. "Unless you want a beating, you're going to get to class without any funny business."

Jimmy started walking, hands in his pockets. "All my business is quite serious, actually."

* * *

The final school bell rang and Jimmy was dismissed from his Algebra II class. He did not pay any attention at all and knew he got bad marks for that day. He had been taken away from his calming, personal time and he wanted to find this new girl. All he knew about her is that she is new, has blonde hair, her last name is Kershaw, and that she is not a fan of authority. The last one was more of an assumption, but it seemed mostly accurate. Although Miss Danvers is not exactly one you would describe as pleasant, so it could have just been her.

He waited out in the main hall for any sign of the new girl but so far, he was only seeing the same people. He was glad that there was going to be a new face on campus. He was getting tired of most the people here and most the girls did leave a lot to be desired.

Beatrice and Angie are not much of lookers and are a bit overbearing most the time. Eunice, if provoked, could probably crush him with her bare hands. Christy is completely superficial and ditzy. Pinky is dating her first cousin and is utterly conceited, not to mention spoiled. Lola is, basically, the school's biggest whore. And Mandy is in her own cheerleading world where she has to be the most popular girl all the time.

While it was easy enough to get them to do anything with him and they were all fun to fool around with, it was just getting old and he was growing bored. The few new girls he already met were in either in relationships, did not want anything to do with him or were unimpressive. He already knew being shot down hurt, but usually he is able to convince them within the week. All these girls were beginning to get tougher to crack.

He figured that perhaps it was wrong to immediately try to get into a girl's pants, especially when she was new to the school, but at the moment, he was too curious to care.

"Hey Jimmy!"

He only tossed a glance over his shoulder in acknowledgement of Tom. The bully was easy to discern with the remnants of his New York accent.

The boy continued, not surprised about a mute greeting. "What cha' up to?"

"Nothing." He curtly answered, eyes scanning the mob of students.

Tom peeked over his shoulder, looking from side to side. "You…lookin' for anyone in particular? Someone to beat up? Can I help?"

Jimmy offered him an uninterested expression. "No."

"Oh." He said dumbly, not hiding his disappointment. "Then why are starin' at a bunch of nerds?"

Jimmy blinked, scanning the crowd again. Tom was right. The only people left was a group of nerds. He cursed under his breath. "Great." He walked away, leaving Tom by his lonesome.

"Uh, alright, I'll see you later Jim!" He yelled, confused, to his retreating friend.

Jimmy turned his head and tersely nodded. He always saw Tom as kind of an idiot so he did not like to get into deep conversations with him. He generally kept his answers simple and short and would leave not two minutes into the exchange. He figured it was a waste of breath. Not as much for him as the other. He frequently got himself into trouble, whether with prefects or other students, and he generally ended up running. So maybe in cutting their chat short he granted him a three-yard head start in his likely near future run.

He departed the main building and looked around more. This girl, who ever she was, really knew how to avoid people.

"Ah, man, just forget it." Jimmy said to himself. "I'm bound to come across her sooner or later."

"Come across who sooner or later?" Pete walked up next to Jimmy.

"No one who's important, Petey." Jimmy said, briskly walking towards the boys' dorm.

Pete followed, staying quick on his heels. "Are you talking about that new girl?"

Jimmy did not halt or slow his pace. "Yeah. Have you seen her?" There was no eagerness in his voice. He just wanted to get an idea of where she would possibly be.

"Well, no…" It was apparent that Pete felt guilty. "But I did hear some people talking about her. They say they put her at an 'eight' on a scale of one to ten, but that most girls around here were only hitting the sixes or sevens. Others at three or four."

"But no one said where they saw her?"

Pete shook his head, but with Jimmy's back at him he could not see his wordless response. He did not bother following up with words, he knew the other would take his silence as nugatory.

Suddenly Jimmy stopped, Pete almost bumping into his back. "Do you think she would be back in her dorm by now? Or at least will be there at, say…ten-ish?"

Pete stuttered absently. "W-well, I suppose she would be." He looked at his friend knowingly. "Why do you ask?"

Jimmy beamed, eyes on the girls' dorm. "Pete, bring your spy gear. That's where we'll be sneaking into tonight."

The smaller boy's head hung, nodded slightly. "I figured you were going to say that."

"Hey, don't sound so down, Petey!" He slapped him roughly on the back, the other stumbling slightly forward. "Maybe you'll get to see a half-naked girl or a pair of panties!"

"Yeah," he slowly raised his fist in mock cheer. "Whoo, whoo…" To be honest, he did not mind the thought of all those girls at once. But if he were caught, it would definitely be on his permanent record.

"Oh, Pete…" He slung his arm over his shoulders, leaning next to him. "Don't be such a worrywart. You just gotta' stay cool and calm and we'll be in there. Cake." He stated composedly, brushing his knuckles on his dark green school sweater. He side glanced towards the shorter boy. "You like cake, don't you?"

"Y-yes. I really like cake." Pete nodded.

"There you go. Now, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving and I ain't eating Edna's cooking."

* * *

Two black blurs ran across campus, easily staying clear from the prefect's view, and darted towards the girls' dormitory. It was barely past ten at night and with the dark sky being their greatest cover, stealth was easiest to achieve on this mission.

The two figures made it to the far side of the large building and peered around the corner, ensuring that no one was near. They crept to the flower-covered trellis and began their slow scale of the building.

"You doin' alright?" Jimmy whispered below to his partner in crime.

Pete paused as he waited to regain some more strength before continuing his climb up. "Yeah, just taking a little breather."

"Well hurry up. This is the easy part so you better make it through this." Jimmy continued up to the open window. He reached the window within seconds and heaved himself up the sill. He strained his vision to ensure that no one was around and when he was sure it was clear, he stepped in and reached back out to heft his friend in with him.

"See? Easy." He patted his heavily breathing friend on the shoulder before treading silently toward their only source of light. "Be careful, we can't make any noise."

Pete nodded before standing up and following the exact steps of Jimmy. He knew Jimmy had done this countless times before and that he could navigate through this attic with his eyes closed or without any direct lighting – which was what he was doing now.

Pete's heart raced from the sudden rush of adrenaline that flowed through him. He was living as one of the bad kids now, trespassing into the girls' dorm and about to sneak around and see their personal belongings. He really did not want to come off as a pervert, but just being in the attic was intoxicating knowing that there was a mass of girls below him, doing what girls do. Whatever that was.

Despite now having a good amount of friends, he was still a little absent minded when it came to girls. He was unable to get any further than platonic friendship with any of them and at seventeen years old, he has yet to receive his first kiss.

He bumped into something and almost yelled out in fear of being caught before a hand clamped over his mouth and shushed him.

"Dude, pay attention! You'll get us both caught." He released the hold on his mouth. "Don't think I won't leave you because if it comes down to it…" He looked at Pete's face and saw how it fell completely but there was a glint in his eye that knew otherwise. "Alright, I wouldn't leave you." Jimmy admitted. "But if either one of us goes down, we'll go down together. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." He smiled. He sure was fortunate to have a friend like Jimmy. But looking around his immediate surroundings, he could easily be seen as a bad influence.

Jimmy stepped toward the rickety staircase, peering down and keeping his hand stretched out behind him to ensure that the other did not move. "Okay, I'm gonna' go down there and when I give you the signal, then you move fast, but stay quiet."

Pete nodded but was then suddenly overcome with a wave of panic. "Wait, what's the signal?" He murmured hoarsely, worried that if he did not know what to do, he was going to get them into trouble.

Jimmy looked back him, snapping somewhat. "You'll know the signal when I give to you." He ran all his words together so Pete barely knew what he said, but he caught the gist of it.

Jimmy cautiously stepped around the staircase, listening and spying around the doorframe, completely collected. Pete watched, awaiting the unknown signal.

The both of them heard the shrill voice of Mrs. Peabody and Jimmy hissed for Pete to stay back while he took refuge in the wardrobe he stood next to.

Pete backed further into the attic, hastily and cautiously moving. The color drained from his face, fear gripping his heart and mind. His senses suddenly sharpened and he swore he could hear the footsteps of every girl on the floor just below him.

"What is that sound?" Mrs. Peabody was walking further into the vacated room. Pete could see her shadow advancing on the steps. His breathing quickened and he did his best to keep it as quiet as possible. He could not hush it so he settled on holding it. Suddenly being a bad boy did not seem like as glamorous as he had once thought. This was why he was so reluctant to the idea.

"I thought I heard something coming from here."

Pete heard the creak of the wooden steps from her body weight. She was coming and he was going to be in the worst trouble he has ever been in. He shut his eyes, perspiration leaking from his skin on his forehead, back, and underarms.

She was only three stairs up before there was distant screaming coming from what Pete guessed to be the ground floor. His eyes snapped open. "Mrs. Peabody! There's a rat in the living area! Mrs. Peabody!" Immediately the older woman turned around and bolted to the first floor.

Pete was blue in the face when he finally released the breath he had been holding. He was gasping and sputtering for air, being as quiet as he could. Jimmy ran up the steps, a smile across his face. "You alright, Pete?" He could hear the laughter in his voice.

The jerk thought it was funny!

"I'm fine." He growled out, standing up from the floor he just now released he was sitting on. He must have tripped and fallen which was why she was coming up to the attic in the first place.

"Come on, let's go. That rat will keep her busy for at least ten minutes. We got to move fast." Jimmy grabbed his forearm and pulled him down the steps. He peered out from the door again and watched the flock of girls run screaming and flailing into their friends' rooms. This was going to be interesting.

He signaled for Pete to follow and he obediently did so, frightened of being left alone again. Next time, he was hiding in the wardrobe.

He opened the door straight across from them and looked inside, indifferent that most the girls were giving him awkward or disgusted stares. "There are perverts in here!" Karen shouted, but another girl silenced her.

Christy beamed, throwing him a seductive grin and batting her eyes. "Hi Jimmy."

"Hey."

He turned and went to the next room, Pete still standing and staring idiotically at all the girls.

"Hi." He smiled and waved.

All the girls giggled at his boyish tendencies, whispering amongst each other.

Jimmy reached over and grabbed him by his shoulder and yanked him across the corridor. "Come on, lover boy."

Within five minutes, he had all the upstairs rooms checked and he did not find this mysterious Miss Kershaw. He cursed under his breath.

"She's not here." Pete stated.

"No…she's not _up here_. She's still _down there_." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, eyes still trained on an invisible spot on the door, contemplating.

"Wait, wait, wait." Pete said hurriedly. "You want us to go down there?"

Jimmy nodded, acting as if the answer was entirely evident.

"Aw, man…can't you just wait to find her during the day – _outside_ of the girls' dorm?" Pete whined, hunching over and looking dejectedly into his friends' unfocused eyes.

He turned around, a smile on his face. His answer purposely negated his last question entirely, only replying to the one before it. "Yup, and I know just how we can do it." He went back to the third room he checked and opened the door. "Gloria, can I request a bit of aid?"

The younger girl in question hopped off the bed sauntered confidently up to him. "Why of course. How may I be of assistance to you?"

Gloria ran down the crafted staircase of the girls' moderately luxurious dorm. She was well aware of the plan Jimmy had unveiled to her and while it was rather straightforward, the aspiring-perfect girl was more than ready to accomplish this deed without any dilemma interfering with her duties.

She made it to the bottom of the steps and looked around warily. While she was not really terrified of rats, she was not one to easily ignore them either. As of now, she did not spot the disgusting, mangy rodent, but she was sure that it was still near.

She saw Mrs. Peabody scouring the living area adjacent to the staircase.

Gloria cleared her throat and steadied her composure. "Mrs. Peabody, I'm here to assist you in this search! I've studied the behavior of rats in Biology and I'm well aware of what their general actions would be when being chased by predators."

The woman scrutinized her suspiciously. But when the girl neither caved nor shook, she presumed what she said to be true so she accepted her offer.

The small girl walked up to her and pointed her finger to a corner which was hidden behind a couch. The older woman followed her finger. "When rats become alarmed or feel they are in danger," her voice rose ever so slightly, "they generally run into corners," she brought the tone down again. "A cornered rodent never fights back, so possible injuries are no longer a worry."

Jimmy and Pete received their signal and started their quiet descent down the steps, both sets of eyes on the crabby older woman.

"And most of the time, they will not run either." Mrs. Peabody went to the couch and began to pull it away from the wall and stuck her face between the newly formed crack between the wall and sofa.

The two boys in black reached the floor and snuck across the main room until they were behind the wall and out of sight. Jimmy opened the first door quietly and scanned the space swiftly.

He went to the next door right across and repeated his previous actions. Pete stayed a step behind Jimmy, taking in the sights before him in the newly opened rooms and paying no mind to what was in front of him.

While Jimmy checked the third room, Pete kept walking with his eyes fixed behind him to ensure they were still safe. Pete then bumped into a small table, bringing his attention back to where he was going. His eyes widened as he froze and watched the vase begin to sway. He was entranced by its sudden dance, freezing him entirely in place and him unable to move to stop it. As if in slow motion, the vase fell off the table and he could nothing but stare, mouth gaping, as it crashed to the floor below.

This caused the other culprit to start and spin around.

Everything still felt as if it were slow motion to Pete as he lifted his gaze from the pile of shattered glass, dirt, and one lonely flower to meet Jimmy's eyes. Pete was terrified but Jimmy was fuming. Pete averted his gaze to the beginning of the corridor and exactly when it came into his full line of sight, as if on cue, Mrs. Peabody jumped out from around the corner.

"What are you perverts doing in the girls' dormitory?" She was seething and Pete swore he could see steam escaping from her ears and nostrils.

He heard Jimmy's voice vaguely. "Pete, run!"

The smaller boy turned and took off in a run right behind his friend but there was a rut in the rug and he tripped as he passed the second to last door. He watched as Jimmy skidded to a halt and ran back over to him to help him up but it was already too late.

By the time real sound could reach his ears, and sensation as well, he felt the painful twinge of nail biting into the skin on the cartilage of his ear.

Pete heard the nagging voice of the petulant old woman and the slight hisses of pain from between his teeth. "You little perverts are in a lot of trouble." She growled before yanking the two down the hallway.

At the end of the hall, Jimmy heard a door open and when they turned towards the main entrance, he very briefly caught sight of a mane of blonde hair before he was shoved harder.

"Keep moving, boy."

The front door was opened and the two boys were pushed out with little mercy. Pete almost fell down the steps before Jimmy caught his arm.

"I'll be reporting this to Doctor Crabblesnitch come tomorrow morning. You two will regret your little pervert run." She slammed the door shut behind her, causing Pete to flinch.

They were silent as they began their slow trek back to their dorm.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy…" Pete whispered, ashamed.

"Don't worry about it, Petey." He smiled, satisfied.

The other boy looked up at him. "You-you're not mad?"

"Pfft, why would I be mad?" He asked, almost as if he really did not have any idea.

He stopped walking, staring at his clearly delusional friend. "Oh, I don't know…because I messed up the whole mission tonight?" Jimmy as well halted his pace and half turned to Pete.

"Don't worry about it. I saw enough. What about you?"

A beaming smile spread all across Pete's face. "I did see panties."

Jimmy smirked. "Thata' boy." He slapped him on his back and started his walk again.

The boy grinned even wider. While seeing a girl's underwear was exciting to him, there was something that made him even happier.

If anything was discovered this night, it was that you could, in fact, trust Jimmy Hopkins' word.

* * *

A/N: All right, typo-free hopefully. Ha, rhyming.

_-Ariel._


	3. Pour Some Sugar on Me

A/N: Okay, so, I found this and did not realize how far I had made it through this chapter. It was pretty much already done, I just made a few tweaks here and there.

* * *

_Crazy Train_

_Chapter 3_

_Pour Some Sugar on Me_

"Breaking and entering, trespassing, violation of curfew?" Dr. Crabblesnitch listed off the duo's infringements, looking down at the letter Mrs. Peabody left for him early this morning. "Give me one good reason as to why I should not punish you both!"

Pete stayed silent, head tilted forward, obviously crestfallen. Jimmy had a smirk spread across his face – this was nothing new to him, so he didn't worry much.

"I would expect this from you, James. But you, Mr. Kowalski? I would have never guessed you would do such a thing. You were Head Boy just last year, and this is not acceptable behavior! You've made a mockery of the title!" His voice was livid, obviously disappointed in the boy. "Perhaps this is why you resigned your position? So you could cavort, taking part in crass mischief and gallivant around doing such distasteful things?"

Pete sank even further into his shell, shying away from the verbal abuse he was receiving. Jimmy almost felt bad for him, but he needed to learn how to take it one way or another.

The principal stared at both of them, one hurt, the other at ease. "Straighten out your acts you two." He sighed. "Enjoy detention."

He dismissed them with the wave of his hand and the two silently exited. Jimmy looked back at his friend, his shoulders were slumped forward and his typically proper posture was lost on him. He allowed him to take the lead.

"C'mon, Petey. Don't worry about it too much. It's just one detention, it won't kill you."

He spun around, walking backwards. "I've never actually had detention before! And this goes on my permanent record!"

Jimmy chuckled, one side of his mouth creeping up, forming a half grin. "I don't think anyone is going to care about one measly little detention."

"Not _just_ the detention. But the fact that we broke into the girls dormitory!"

He thought on that for a moment. "Well, _technically_, we didn't break into anything. It's not our fault they leave the attic window wide open for just anyone to step in. They have no one to blame but themselves."

"Well Jim, I'm not going to be 'just anyone' anymore. I'm not going to do th—_oomph_!"

His sentence was cut off by the impact he felt against his back. He staggered forward, stopping directly in front of Jimmy, who had stopped walking as well. Pete was momentarily confused as to what happened until he heard someone speaking.

"Oh! I'm sorry about that!"

The voice was a girl's that he did not recognize. Finally it dawned on him that maybe he should turn around.

He saw the full mane of gold cascading down over her left shoulder, slightly unruly bangs swept to the side and falling into her eye. She stood about an inch taller than he did, another person on campus to make him appear that much smaller in stature. Her skin was pale and ethereal, barely kissed by the sun. It was her eyes that caught his attention the most; they were gray and bright, adding a deeper mystery to the newest resident at Bullworth, one with the most fascinating eyes he could ever recall seeing.

She was crouched down to the ground, gathering her books together as she spoke. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She stood up straight, their gazes meeting as she waited for his acceptance of her apology.

He and Jimmy were both staring at the girl who just apologized to the smaller boy. She raised a defined eyebrow, confused about their silence and gazes; she was becoming noticeably uncomfortable by the scrutinizing eyes. She suspected they were not going to say anything anytime soon, a dumbfounded expression on one boy and an awed one on the other.

"Okay…well—"

Pete finally found his voice. "Oh, no! Sorry…but don't worry about it. I wasn't watching where I was going either. I apologize."

"It was no big deal either way." She looked the two up and down, suspicion gleaming in her eyes. "You two seem familiar…" She glanced between them again. "Weren't you the guys who caused all that commotion in girls' dorm last night?"

"Uh…" Pete said, looking behind him at Jimmy, who still had yet to say anything. "Yes. We were…that's us. Just a pair of high school criminals!" He laughed nervously, turning his gaze away and blush burning his cheeks. Now he was the one who was uncomfortable. Her eyes were now averted to Jimmy's, who still was looking at her in stillness.

The reprieve from discomfort was short lived upon the realization of the constant, immovable stare.

"Right…but I've got to get my new schedule. I didn't pick it up yesterday when I got here. Figured I could look around a bit instead of charging right into class. So I will talk to you later..." Her sentence trailed off, just now realizing she never caught either boys' name.

Pete understood so he filled her in. "Pete. Pete Kowalski. And that's Jimmy Hopkins."

"Rhae Kershaw." She held her hand out and Pete took it. "Nice to meet you. I'll talk to you later, Pete. And I'll…see you around, Jimmy." She gave him an apprehensive look, unsure of how their next meeting would go.

With that said, Rhae walked off towards the principal's office.

The pair was silent for a moment longer.

"Wow." Again, Pete was the first to break the hush.

"Yeah…wow." Jimmy said, looking back at the principal office she had just walked into. "It's nice to meet you, Rhae."

Pete looked up at him, perplexity etched across his face. "You know, Jimmy…it might have helped if you had said that about forty-five seconds ago."

Jimmy grinned, a slight darkness in his eyes that Pete knew all too well.

"Hopkins! Kowalski! Move it, maggots! You got detention to serve." Seth stepped around the pair before shoving them forward. "Let's go!"

* * *

"You're done, Hopkins." Seth looked at the other menace. He did not seem to understand the concept of lawn mowing and obviously did not really know how to operate a lawn mower. "You're almost finished, Kowalski." He turned to see where his biggest nuisance was heading. "Stay right there." He snapped, the retreating boy ceasing his tracks.

Pete steered the contraption as best he could, but he always some how managed to get stuck along the brick wall. He could have sworn he was an easy ten feet from it, but despite that, he would always find himself caught against it. It had previously crossed his mind to attempt to bust out of this place – the parking lot was near so what was stopping him?

"Hurry it up, Petey!" Jimmy shouted, perceptibly becoming impatient.

He cursed to himself. Oh yeah, the guy who got him stuck in this hellhole in the first place.

It was officially decided. He hated detention.

Pete did not say anything else, just muttered incoherent words and phrases under his breath, eyes fixated on the steering wheel that he finally ruled as being broken. Of course they would give him a defective machine.

Jimmy crossed his arms, bored and annoyed. He wanted to go, but Pete could not properly function a lawn mower. It was one of the easiest things to do but not even the genius Peter Kowalski could handle it.

He was minding his own business, lost in thought, when he felt himself being shoved forward. His footing faltered and he almost lost all his balance but he maintained stability and spun around, angry at having been pushed.

His first assumption was that it had been Seth, just being a jerk of an authority figure, but when he caught an eyeful of long, golden locks and was looking into blue-green eyes, he realized his supposition was way off.

"Hey there."

By more than a mile.

"Rhae, hey." He greeted, this time having more composure and fully capable of articulating. He was not sure how well a full sentence would come out, but he figured he would know in a matter of seconds.

She looked down at her shoes before bringing her gaze back, nibbling on the side of her bottom lip lightly. "Well, I didn't really get a chance to speak with you considering…" the both of them shrugged, knowing the answer. "And I saw you standing here so I thought maybe I'd give you one more shot."

A grin spread across his face. "Ha, yeah. Sorry about that. You just sort of took me by surprise."

"Oh, really?" Her voice was playful, teasing. He hated the fact that he had stand here. _Hurry it up already, Pete!_

"Well, what can I say? You've been here a few days and I haven't had a chance to meet you." His voice was smooth, carrying each one of his words with tact and grace.

She stepped closer to him, eyes darkening as a smirk spread across her face; she tilted her chin upwards ever so slightly. "What makes you the Big Man on Campus that you have to meet every person when they arrive?"

He laughed flippantly. "Well not _every_one." She offered a bored expression. "Just the ones who I would show some interest in."

"Show some interest in?" She repeated, unimpressed. She eyed him skeptically, her smirk smaller, but still apparent.

He kept his cool, not wanting to let her sense the small amount of damage she caused his ego. He bet this girl could smell hurt from a mile away, so he had to do his best to cover it up.

"And what gives you the idea that every girl you cross would reciprocate that…_interest_?"

He shifted calmly, a smile spread over his face. He looked her in the eyes and spoke nonchalantly. "You stopped to see me again."

She let a small laugh out before stepping back again. She pressed her palm against his chest and shoved him again.

"See you around, Jimmy Hopkins." She said in a playfully sarcastic tone before sauntering away. His smirk remained set in place as he watched her move away, from her legs, to hips, to the flowing hair. It was about time this wretched school got a girl like her.

"Playing hard to get, are we? I like a girl with some fight in her."

He felt as if he was being watched so he turned around to not the prettiest of sights.

Pete was glaring daggers at him and his arms were stiff at his sides, hands fisted, and shoulders at his ears. One lens to his glasses was cracked and the frame had been bent. His clothes and face were covered in dirt and grass stains and they were terribly disheveled.

"Dude…" Jimmy observed his entire body. "What the hell happened to you?" He looked past the fuming runt to see Seth righting the toppled, smoking mower from near the wall.

"What _happened_ to me?" He growled out, clearly perturbed. "What _happened_ was while _you_ were talking to _Rhae_, _my_ lawn mower went _berserk_ and crashed into a wall and landed on _me_!" His whole sentence was spoken swiftly and run on, by the time he finished it he was breathing heavily. Jimmy assumed it was also because of just how livid he actually was.

He started at him silently for a moment. "That sucks."

Pete let out a loud, frustrated growl as he clutched his hair in his hands. "Forget it, let's just go." And he marched off, still in the same improper stance.

Seth was standing next to him now, arms crossed over his chest and glaring. "You, Hopkins, are _useless_!" He snapped.

"Yeah, yeah…like I haven't heard that before." Jimmy waved him off as he jogged to catch up to Pete.

The shorter boy kept a steady pace, hands now in his pockets. "You mean you're actually done flirting, for once?"

Jimmy looked over his shoulder, she was already gone, but just the memory of the image was enough. "Far from, Petey," he looked at his friend, who was now staring back at him, anger wiped away from his face and stance. "Very far from."

He only shrugged. "Figures as much."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I tried my hand at this. I tried my best to keep up the consistency of Rhae to the original Bullworth girls, and characters in general. I know, I really don't much care for OCs ever either but I wanted to give it shot. This chapter was, for the most part, written three years ago with the other two chapters, but I did a smidge of editing to it and I hope it still stands up. Sorry this one is quite a bit shorter than the others.

Tell me what you think and I will get on with the next chapter. Thanks everyone.

_-Ariel._


End file.
